Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to firearms accessories and more specifically, to a firearm accessory platform mountable around a firearm barrel, said accessory platform being mounted at least partially within a firearm handguard.
Description of Related Art
The use of light sources in conjunction with firearms is known in the art. For centuries, hunters and combatants using firearms under the cover of darkness had to rely on natural sources of light (for example, the Moon), as well as their own senses, to correctly identify and aim at targeted objects. As electrical lighting technology progressed over the years, firearms users began to utilize spotlights, flashlights and other light sources to assist them in illuminating targeted objects. In many cases, a user of a firearm was required to hold the electrical lighting device while also holding, aiming, and firing the firearm. Attempts of this nature often proved unsatisfactory and in the case of such use in combat, dangerous. In other cases, the lighting device might be mounted on a platform (for example, a tripod type device) capable of aiming the light source at a targeted object while the firearm user operated his or her firearm. In other cases, another person might be utilized to hold and aim the firearm while the firearm user aimed and fired the firearm. While relieving the firearms user of the responsibility of holding and aiming the lighting device, such prior art methods were inefficient.
As the physical size and weight of electrical lighting devices became smaller over time, primarily as a result of technological advances in the miniaturization of electrical circuit components, as well as other advances in batteries, materials used for component housing, and lighting emitting devices (for example, light-emitting diodes or “LEDs”), it became feasible to construct lighting devices for mounting directly onto firearms. For example, some prior art lighting devices are configured for mounting onto an exterior firearm grip, trigger guard, or frame. Other prior art lighting devices are configured for mounting onto an exterior surface of a firearm handguard through use of a separate or integrated mounting accessory configured to mate with a correspondingly shaped rail or mounting aperture formed on a firearm handguard.
Such prior art lighting devices configured for mounting on the exterior of a firearm offer some advantages. For example, such devices make it possible for a firearms user to utilize a lighting device without the assistance of another person, without requiring the firearm user to both aim the lighting device and the firearm, allowing the user to control both the direction of the firearm muzzle and direction of illumination at the same time. However, there are many drawbacks and other limitations inherent in such prior art lighting devices and the means by which they are mounted to firearms. A primary drawback of such prior art systems is that they act as an object that can easily snag on or become entangled with other objects, causing the user to be impeded in movement and potentially causing inadvertent disruptions in the act of aiming and/or firing of the firearm. Another drawback of such prior art lighting devices configured for mounting on the exterior of a firearm is that they are at greater risk of being damaged due to being struck or being ripped off of the firearm. Another drawback of such prior art lighting devices configured for mounting on the exterior of a firearm is that they are at greater risk of being damaged due to being more fully exposed to environmental hazards such as water.
Accordingly, a long-felt but unaddressed need in the prior art is for a firearm accessory platform having a light source assembly (or other accessory assembly) mountable at least partially within an enclosure defined by a firearm handguard. Another long-felt but unaddressed need in the prior art is for such an accessory platform that is configured such that only minimal modifications need to be made to existing firearms handguards to permit for the mounting of the device within the handguard. As described in further detail below, the inventions disclosed herein provide these and other long-felt but unmet needs in the art.
Where used in the various figures of the drawings, the same reference numerals designate the same or similar parts. All figures are drawn for ease of explanation of the basic teachings of the invention only; the extensions of the figures with respect to number, position, relationship, and dimensions of the parts to form the preferred embodiment will either be explained or will be within the skill of persons of ordinary skill in the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood.